Shadowed Reminiscences
by Lily Maxwell The Dark Angel
Summary: Yugi may have gotten over his past, but his past did not give him up. When new students come to town, his problems double, adding to his strange dreams. And maybe even Yami will end up hurt. (Sequel to "Shades of a soul")
1. Act I

Lily: Welcome, fellows, to the so awaited sequel to my most famous YY/Y story!! The sequel to _Shades of a soul_!! Okay, so I'm sorry I didn't post this soon --;; The fact is that I didn't have many ideas for this story, and I didn't want to have an ordinary sequel to a great fic like _Soas_. But FINALLY I've sorted my mind for a good plot, and this fic has been born!! I hope you fellows like it!! ^^

Iris: And that Lily actually updates this as quickly as _Soas_.

Lily: O.o Now THAT'S ask too much... ^^;; Anyway, enjoy!

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Disclaimer: Dudes, I STILL don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, when will you learn that?? --;;

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Warning: This fic contains _shounen ai_, that meaning boyxboy love. Don't like it? Simply, don't read it!! The couple is Yugi/Yami, so you've been warned. There's Bakura/Ryou, (Yami)Malik/(Malik)Ishtar and.... another pairing I'm not telling =P. Also, Anzu bashing (duh =P) and mild Rebecca bashing.

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Keys: "__" is talking, '__' is thinking, and _Italic_ is dream sequence

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Note: It is MORE than imperative that you read both _Shades of a soul_ and _Even in death_ before reading this one fic. Allusions to both fics will be made often, since this IS a sequel after all. So please, take your time reading THOSE fics before coming back to this one. ^_^ Thank you

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**__**

Shadowed Reminiscences - [ **Act** **I **]

__

By: Lily Maxwell

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__

He looked from one side to another, completely emerged in the shadows. However, he was not afraid, as many would be if they were in his situation. No. He was rather calm, and with calm amethyst eyes scanning the surroundings. Slowly, he sat down on the non-existent floor and waited for whatever was going to meet him at the time.

It was not an unusual thing for him. It was like... a visiting routine he had. He had this connection with... hmm, people who did not belong to this world anymore. No, it wasn't like he 'saw dead people', it just... happened in his dreams. Usually, it were teens, people who did not have enough peace to walk away.

But **this** one was different. He knew it, because it was slightly different from the other ones. He got this chilling feeling, and his body was cold and shaking. He took one more glance around, eyes now frenetic and anxious.

Suddenly, a pair of sapphire eyes appeared in the mist of darkness, and he immediately locked glances with them. They looked sad, lost and glassy. Also, he could vaguely see twinkling tears coming from the two blue eyes. Just as sudden as the eyes appeared, the scenery around him changed.

He stood up, gazing up at the moon that now hung clearly in the sky, and looked around, seeing shadows of things he couldn't make out what exactly they were. Looking in the direction of the eyes, he could not yet make out the face of the person, but just its silhouette. A feminine silhouette.

The girl's (or woman's) hair came to her waist in gentle waves. She was hugging herself, and one hand momentarily went up to brush her bangs from her left eye, that kept coming and covering it. The only things he could really make out were still the eyes. Two grayish-blue eyes who looked at him with hopelessness.

Slowly and gracefully, she walked up to him, and looked down into his own eyes. He felt uncomfortable under he gaze, but tried by all matters not to show it, or not to voice anything. The silence seemed to be begging to be kept. Out of blue, she touched his cheek and murmured something. The tears glimmered in the moonlight.

He just couldn't make out her words...

~^:^~

He bolted up in his bed, shaking and blinking nervously. Yugi felt cold, and he was deadly pale. He couldn't help it really. The dream had him terrified for some unknown reason, and the side of his face was inhumanly cold, as if it was frozen. He touched his cheek and pulled the blanked closer to him in an attempt to make the cold melt away, leaning against backboard of his bed. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply before opening them again.

He lazily began to look around the room, not recognizing it as his place at the Kame Game Shop. He smiled as he remembered where _exactly_ he was, and _what_ he was doing there. Because he was nowhere else than Yami's house, in the room that the taller teen had already claimed as 'Yugi's'.

Last night he had invited the entire group to watch some movies, since his parents were _again_ out of town and he didn't want to be alone at all. They watched the movies until it was very late, and instead of going back home with a ride by Seto, Yugi decided to call in his grandfather and inform him he was staying at Yami's. Sugoroku was just happy for his grandson's happiness and willingly let him stay.

It wasn't the first time though. Yami was usually _too_ lonely in that big house of his, and sometimes his friends couldn't come over to keep company, the exact opposite of Yugi, who always had time to spend with his love. And Yami loved him even more for that (A/N: And here comes mushy talk... nyah, sorry XD).

Looking out of the window, Yugi blinked as he saw it was still dark outside. Gazing over to the watch near his bed, Yugi saw it was past 8 AM, so it wasn't supposed to be dark _at all_. Getting up, Yugi slowly made his way to the big window (it was almost his size) and his eyes widened.

It was snowing!!

Yugi smiled widely and for a moment he forgot about the dream, attention fully and completely on the scenery outside. Even though they were in December and he was in Winter Break, he hadn't experienced any snow day in Domino City since the new cold season began.

Suddenly, the soft click of the doorknob being turned caught Yugi's attention, and he looked up to the new room's occupant. He smiled warmly at the person, then adverted his attention back to the window, fingers tracing imaginary patterns on the glass. He giggled.

"I can't believe in it, Yami! It's finally snowing! I _love_ the snow!" he practically squealed, and heard the soft chuckle coming from behind him, strong arms wrapping themselves around his waist and chest. A warm breath tickled the side of his face, making Yugi giggle again.

"I noticed, Yugi." The deep voice of Yami spoke silently next to Yugi's ear. The shorter teen moved his hand over to Yami's, which was placed by his heart, and felt Yami's breath take a sudden change. His lover then rubbed the side of his face against his, soon making him turn around.

Yugi blinked confusedly up at crimson eyes, which silently scanned his own amethyst eyes for an answer. His left arm still circled around Yugi's waist, his left hand touched both sides of Yugi's face, with the back of his hand and his palm. Yugi leaned in the touch, but blinked more when Yami frowned.

"What is it?" he asked curiously, and Yami just narrowed his eyes.

"You're awfully cold, Yugi." He stated, and Yugi's eyes showed understanding, before he leaned closer to Yami, keeping his face buried against his chest. Yami, in response, just hugged him tighter. "You should go back to bed, hikari. That's not normal, and I don't want you to stand out in such a cold day like this if you're already _this_ cold in the morning." He said, and Yugi sighed.

"I... I had... this dream, Yami." He said in nothing more than a whisper, but the environment was quiet enough for Yami to hear his velvety voice. Yami sighed deeply, knowing what it meant. "It was strange though..."

"How?" he asked, and Yugi shook his head barely in response.

"I don't know... it... _scared_ me." he said, and Yami backed him away enough to look into his face. He held an extremely worried glance.

"Scared you? You don't mean.... Yugi, you can't get _hurt_, can you?" he said, his voice trembling slightly at the remote idea of Yugi being in danger and he being unable to do a thing to help. Yugi shook his head again and smiled up at him.

"No, it's not that... It's just a different dream from the others.... It's like it's trying to... like it's trying to give me a message." He frowned. "I just don't get what it is." Yami sighed again, then leaned over and placed a kiss on his forehead. Looking down at the lovely violet gaze of his lover, he smiled warmly at him.

"Don't worry, Yugi. I'm sure you'll figure it out soon." He frowned a little. "But I'll be asking for you, Mr. Mutou, to be sleeping in _my_ room next time, so then I'll be able to comfort you when you wake up." He said, then placed an innocent kiss against Yugi's lips. Yugi leaned in the touch, and hugged Yami before they finally let go of each other.

"If you say so, Yami." He winked and giggled. Yami just smiled back.

"Oh, and by the way..." Yami continued, before Yugi could step totally out of the room. "... I'll be doing some things in here before going out, so if you want to leave without me you can, since it looks like you love the snow so much." He said, and surely wasn't expecting the little one practically jumping on him, almost bringing the both of them to the ground.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Mi-chan!!" Yugi said while rubbing his face against Yami's chest, making the taller one laugh. When Yugi let go of him, he left the room so quickly you could only see a blur of black, magenta and blue. Which only made Yami laugh harder.

Yami, still in his gray pajamas, rubbed what was left of his sleep from his eyes, smiling absentmindedly at the snow that fell outside. He didn't like cold days all that much... But, like what happened to the rainy days, Yami ended up loving cold days... and snow, for that matter. All because of Yugi.

He touched the glass but withdrew his hand almost immediately. It was _cold_. Really cold. He shivered unconsciously. It was still _too cold_ for him.

Muttering, and having a bad feeling tugging and tormenting his mind, Yami made his way out of Yugi's room, to settle his things before leaving to meet Yugi.

~^:^~

Yugi giggled, watching as the snow melted in his gloved hand, finding everything ever so amusing. He had always _loved_ the snow, and that was a fact that would probably _never_ change.

He was sitting on a bench at the park, watching as people walked hurriedly and rubbed their hands together, hugging themselves and doing everything they could to keep themselves warm. The sky was darkened, but Yugi didn't mind it. He just closed his eyes and felt the snow tickling him, giggling even now and then.

He looked at the path where he was supposed to go... The 'Sacred place' he and Yami loved so much. Where some people felt uneasy and scared, he and Yami felt warmth and familiarity, the ever strong wind that seemed to be eternal in the surroundings being a lullaby to time, its melody almost making everything stop around them, and giving the two lovers the impression they were the only ones in the world, the spirits accepting their company since Yugi had such a pure soul and Yami's was not once tainted in any way.

Yugi stood up and hurried to the path, but didn't notice as someone as passing in his way, and the two of them ended up bumping into each other.

"Gomen nasai!" Yugi called immediately, standing up. "I wasn't looking where I was... going..." Yugi looked at the person, and was completely shocked.

"Yugi?" the sweet voice called, looking up and meeting Yugi's violet gaze with its chocolate brown eyes. Eyes in which Yugi saw himself, not too long ago, bringing back old memories and the familiar feeling of hurt.

"S-Shizuka?!" he said, and the girl stood up, wiping away some of the snow on her clothes with barely any luck, looking at Yugi with some glow in her eyes. It seemed like a miracle had just happened to her.

Yugi, on the other hand, was backing away from her, shaking his head in denial, tears falling down his cheeks against his free will. It couldn't be happening... it had to be some kind of dream... or _nightmare_. But when he bumped his back against someone _else_, another voice made that statement don't seem true at all.

"Yugi? Is that really you??" the deep feminine voice asked, and he turned around to meet a single gray eye, and very light-chestnut hair. He almost shivered involuntarily. That voice... it was one which haunted him for so long.

"No... this isn't real... you..." was all he could manage to say before breaking into a run, away from the two confused girls, who looked at each other worriedly.

Yugi ran into his sacred place, tears now falling down freely down his face, the freezing wind almost freezing them in place. Yugi furiously wiped them away to no use, because they kept falling helplessly.

'Why... why now? WHY?!' he called in his mind, the world blind around him, just the whistling of the wind breaking the painful silence. He did not acknowledge the sound of footsteps against the snow into he bumped into the person, and this time ended up falling semi-on top of them.

He didn't have time to panic though.

"Yugi?" he brought his tearstained face up and stared into the marvelously caring crimson eyes he just needed to meet at the moment, the voice enveloping him and the concern making Yugi's brain take a slight pause before being able to proceed any action. He desperately wrapped his arms against the person's middle, crying openly and furiously against their chest.

Yami was confused and terrified, wanting badly to know what was going on. With much difficulty, he moved a little until he was leaning against one of the trees' trunks, arms around Yugi's shoulders while this one sat between his legs and cried to no end, making Yami nervous and apprehensive.

Yugi mumbled something against his chest that Yami couldn't make out.

"What is it, Yugi?" he asked, the wind muffling his words even more, looking more vicious than ever, almost as if it was angry for Yugi's tears. Yugi backed up a little and looked up at Yami, who quickly and gently wiped away the salty moisture from the flawless porcelain skin.

"They're here, Yami... they're here..." was all he said, before he buried his face against Yami's chest once again, shoulders shaking, strong arms wrapped tightly around him in a futile attempt to calm him down.

[ **To be _continued_**... ]

Lily: oohhh... as mysterious as its predecessor...

Iris: Or maybe you're just being a bitch and hiding too much information...

Lily: ¬¬;; I resent that...

Iris: *snickers*

Lily: --;; Anyway, if you guys want the next chapter please **review**, okay? Even though I have a lot of other stories to continue, I promise I'll try to continue this as fast as I did with _Shades of a soul_, ok? ^_^ See you guys in a near future!

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AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!! ^_^


	2. Act II

Lily: *sniffs* Ne~~... *pokes Flowers* Where's everybody from last time??

Flowers: *shrugs* ^^U I don't know, Lily...

Hobbit13: Maybe they're sufferin' with the excess of mystery?

Lily: *blinks*

Koishii no Tenshi: I don't think so... ^^ It's a kawaii story!!

YumeTakato: *thoughtful* Or maybe... they're just being lazy...

Lily: --;; Ne, Yume-chan... Don't call them lazy...

Hime no Ichigo: *pats* Calm down, Lily-chan... ^^U They'll eventually appear...

Mel Gods: Just keep writin'! ^_^ Okay, so it's odd... but it's good all the same!!

Destiny: And I'm curious!! *lets out a MEOW by accident*

Firlosse: *running around squealing* It's so cute!!

Everyone: *sweatdrop*

LilTakariGirl aka Yami Aro: Awww, Lily, just continue!! *pouts* I'm curious here!! I mean... Yugi ran from Shizuka O.o...

YumeTakato: Will there be more dreams?

Hime no Ichigo: Will there be more FLUFF?? ^_^

Mel Gods: Will there be more explanations?

Pretenna: WE WANT SOME ANSWERS!!

Iris: *sweatdrops* Wow, lots of questions...

Everyone: CONTINUE, LILY!!

Lily: HAI!! ^__^ *gives them all plushies*

Everyone: *blink* ^_______^ YAY!!!

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Disclaimer: Hmm... lesse... *checks her last 78 YGO disclaimers* ................. No, I DON'T own it... yet... =P

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Warning: This fic contains _shounen ai_, that meaning boyxboy love. Don't like it? Simply, don't read it!! The couple is Yugi/Yami, so you've been warned. There's Bakura/Ryou, (Yami)Malik/(Malik)Ishtar and.... another pairing I'm not telling =P. Also, Anzu bashing (duh =P) and mild Rebecca bashing.

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Keys: "__" is talking, '__' is thinking, and _Italic_ is a Flashback

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Note: It is MORE than imperative that you read both _Shades of a soul_ and _Even in death_ before reading this one fic. Allusions to both fics will be made often, since this IS a sequel after all. So please, take your time reading THOSE fics before coming back to this one. ^_^ Thank you.

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**__**

Shadowed Reminiscences - [ **Act** **II **]

__

By: Lily Maxwell

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Yugi sipped his hot chocolate slowly, trying to calm down. Yami had his arm around his shoulders and Yugi leaned against him as they sat in the same couch they were leaning against the day Yugi told Yami about his "dreams" at the hospital.

The tears still fell even now, half an hour later. Yami was getting insanely nervous and just wouldn't let go of the overly silent Yugi. After what he said to Yami at their "sacred place", he didn't say anything else since then. Letting Yami in the shadows and only able to try and comfort Yugi.

But the smaller one was being silent for twenty minutes now. It was killing Yami.

"Yugi, what's wrong?" he asked for the millionth time. Yugi closed his eyes, drank a little more of his hot chocolate, before placing it on the table in front of them. He sighed deeply.

"Yami... do you remember... back then, when we haven't _really_ met yet... When I told you about my old friends?" Yugi asked, and Yami blinked, looking down at him and nodding.

"Yes… what about them?" Yami asked. Yugi looked away before answering.

"I saw… some of them today…" Yugi whispered. Yami widened his eyes, and made Yugi look at him in the eyes, pulling his face up by his chin.

"Is that why you're so upset?" he asked, and Yugi's eyes shimmered with tears before he nodded. "Ah Yugi…" he pulled the smaller one in a tight embrace, in which Yugi cried even harder. It was hard to believe he still had tears after crying so much.

"I didn't… I never wanted to see them again, Yami… It-it hurts… They lied to me… said I was never going to be strong back then… Why? Why did they have to find me?" Yugi asked in between sobs. While he was speaking, Yami rocked him back and forth, making shushing sounds.

"It's okay, I understand hikari[1]…" he said, and Yugi nodded, trying to stop crying. He must have looked so weak to Yami now… crying helplessly over something so… silly…

But it wasn't silly for Yugi. Oh no. It was very serious. Because it was the first time he felt betrayed… Betrayed by his own friends' words. And what he felt later that day, when he found out his parents were dead… It made everything so worse.

He shook his head. He was not supposed to remember those bad memories.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, backing away enough to look at Yami's face. But the taller one only smiled.

"Don't be. I understand how bad you must have felt… Seeing them after so long…" Yami said, wiping the wetness away from Yugi's face with his thumb. Yugi slowly nodded.

"Shizuka… She looked so surprise seeing me… And Elle…" he laughed sadly. "She used to be my best friend…" he said, leaning against Yami's chest. Yami then began to stroke his hair lovingly. He didn't say anything, just letting Yugi continue. He had never really heard Yugi talk about his old friends before.

"Jou was the funny one, he and Elle always did pranks and never got detentions, thanks to Elle who was smart. Honda always said one day they'd get grounded for good." He laughed weakly at the good memories, while Yami looked at the nothingness sadly. "Shizuka… she just… she was usually silent and the kinder out of all of us, and maybe the smarter, even though she was the youngest…" he started crying again. "And they all said… they all said I… I was…" he broke down just like Yami had predicted.

"Stop, stop now Yugi… I understand…" he assured, hugging Yugi tighter in his embrace. Yugi recovered easier this time, looking up at Yami and letting him wipe away his tears like he had been doing the last half an hour. Yami smiled assuring, making Yugi smile too. Yugi reached up his hand and wiped some of Yami's bangs from his eyes, not saying a thing. The way his eyes shone made Yami chuckled. "What's wrong?" he asked, both his arms circled around Yugi's waist by now.

"You're marvelous, have I ever told you that?" he asked, and Yami chuckled.

"Not with those words." He said grinning, and Yugi giggled.

"So I'll stop saying, you're getting a big ego there." Yugi joked, and Yami narrowed his eyes. Yugi giggled again, and practically jumped on Yami, making the taller one fall back on the couch and Yugi staying on top of him. "But I love you anyway." He concluded, bringing his lips to Yami's. Yami grinned a bit before fully returning the kiss, one of his hands reaching to Yugi's neck and pulling him even deeper into the kiss.

The problem from minutes ago was left forgotten.

The kiss went deep, their tongues meeting and dancing at their own rhythm, Yami exploring every corner of the other's mouth. They didn't know how long their kiss lasted and they didn't really care. When they momentarily broke apart to breath in some air, their breaths met as their mouths were still mildly intertwined (A/n: and I wonder if I used a good word…). They opened their eyes and stared at each other, falling deeply in each bother's gaze due to their very close proximity.

They smiled before kissing each other again.

"And I thought we were spending our day outside today." Yami breathed into Yugi's mouth when they parted again, not pulling away immediately (they never really do that). Yugi grinned while Yami pulled himself to a sitting position and Yugi on his lap. Yugi snuggled close to his chest before replying.

"That can wait a little… the snow is not gonna melt until tomorrow anyway." He said, looking up at Yami again, both their eyes a darker and shiner color. Yami nuzzled his cheek and nodded.

"I agree… that and I like cuddling you." He said and Yugi laughed. Yugi looked up a little to look through the window. He giggled.

"It's still snowing… I wonder if we won't be snowed in until tomorrow." He said, and Yami grinned.

"I wouldn't really mind that." He said (A/N: *ahem* and you guys take your mind outta the gutter…). Yugi giggled again and hid his face on the crook of Yami's neck. His breath against Yami's skin made him shiver involuntarily, and he hugged him tighter. "But Yugi… wouldn't you want to go out now that the snow hasn't covered everything outside yet?" he asked, and Yugi remained silent. Yami raised an eyebrow, doubting he had fallen asleep. "Yugi..?"

"What if I meet them again? What if I meet the others?" he asked silently, and Yami sighed, hugging Yugi up to him.

"Then I'll deal with them." He said, kissing Yugi's cheek. Yugi reluctantly nodded.

~^:^~

Yugi walked around while Yami sat on a bench, just observing him, eyes shining with love. Yugi was giggling to himself, and was impossible not to melt at his sight. Yugi looked around and when his gaze met Yami's, he would smile widely.

Yami shivered. Looking around, he held firmly to his idea that it was _too_ cold for comfort. But if Yugi were happy with it, then he would endure it 'till the end.

"YUGI!!!" Yami heard and blinking as a blur of pink passed by him, and he heard a startled cry from his lover. Looking over at Yugi, he blinked even more when he noticed there was a girl glomping Yugi.

__

His Yugi.

He narrowed his eyes dangerously, and was about to stand up and break them apart when Yugi said…

"R-Rebecca?!" Yami blinked. Yugi _knew_ that girl?

She let go of him (to her luck and also to Yami's happiness) and giggled uncontrollably. She adjusted her glasses and looked at his eyes before giggling and glomping him again. Yugi, which had sat up like her when she let go of him, fell back to the ground.

"Yugi!! I'm so glad to see you again! After such a long time!" she squealed, and Yugi gulped.

"L-let go of me, Rebecca! Onegai! I wanna breathe!!" he said and mockingly chocked. Rebecca blinked. Yami had narrowed his eyes to slits and had stood up when another scream echoed.

"REBECCA, LET GO OF HIM!!" a girl with light-chestnut hair came and pulled Rebecca off Yugi, who instantly stood up and smiled nervously to the people that were staring at them. The girl with chestnut hair was having a glare0contest with the blonde-haired girl called Rebecca. "Are you trying to kill him??"

"No, Elle, I'm not, I was just greeting him!" Rebecca said, hand on her hips, her pink cloak full of snow. Yugi was exactly trying to wipe away the snow off _his_ cloak right now too. Yami, interested, stared at the scene with an eyebrow raised.

"Does greeting him involves chocking him to death, huh? HUH?!" Elle, the other girl, continued, her eyes narrowed. Yugi sweatdropped, while at the same time trying not to panic.

'What are they doing HERE?' he asked himself.

"I was not doing such thing! And you're just angry cause when he saw you, he just ran away!" Rebecca said, and Elle widened her eyes.

"He would have run away from you too if he had the chance and were you not trying to suffocate him!!" Elle said, and the girls glared daggers at each other. Yami sweatdropped and Yugi was going to walk to him when another voice spoke.

"Jeez, ya guys are catchin' a lotta attention…" Yugi froze, and looked at the speaker. The boy, upon seeing him, widened his eyes and grinned. "Yug'! So _you_'re da one the fight is all 'bout!" he said, and hugged Yugi. Yugi immediately broke away. The dirty blond that was hugging him blinked his chocolate eyes. "Yug'…?"

"What… are you all doing here?" he asked, backing away from all of them, their eyes on him. "You… were not supposed to be here… I don't…"

"What's wrong, Yugi?" Rebecca asked, her eyes saddening.

"He doesn't want to see you, that's what." Yami finally said, walking up to Yugi and standing in front of him. Yugi attached himself to his arm while Yami glared at each one of them. The others blinked.

"AHH!! A BIGGER YUGI!!" the girls screamed, and Yami sweatdropped. The blond had his jaw hanging open.

"Gee, you guys are alike!" he declared, and Yami rolled his eyes. "And… who are ya-?"

"Katsuya Jounouchi." A voice said behind the blond, making him jump and look around. He met a pair of azure eyes. He narrowed his own.

"Seto Kaiba." He declared, almost growling. Yami and Yugi blinked and looked at each other. This was getting too messy.

[ **To be _continued_**… ]

Lily: Geez, what a mess! Not just Yugi met people he didn't want to meet, but also Seto knows Jou? What's going to happen now?

Iris: Whom are ya askin', you're the author of the story!

Lily: I know, I just like increasing the suspense ^^

Iris: -.-U and she doesn't want to get killed, seriously…

Lily: *sweatdrops* Anyway, please **review** and I'll update!!

Mel Gods: FLUFF!! ^_^

Hime no Ichigo: ;_; But there was no dream… *something snaps in* FLUFF!! ^_^ FLUFFLUFFLUFFLUF!!

Everyone: YAY!

Lily: *whispers to Iris* What's with 'em?

Iris: *sweatdrops* Maybe fluff acts like sugar in them and make them hyper…

Lily: *fearful* Ehh… uh oh…

[1] Although there's no yami/hikari relation in here, Yami still calls Yugi hikari. If you read "Shades of a soul", you'd know why ^^


	3. Act III

Latias: WHERE THE HELL IS LILY?!

Dark Latias: BWAHAHAHAHAH!! *burning down things around*

Everyone: *sweatdrop*

Akhet: Did she die?! O_O If she didn't then I will cause I'm filled with mystery!! GAAH!! *runs from mystery* 

Iris: *sweatdrops* Weird new reviewers... Erm... I need volunteers to go get Lily...

Everyone: *raise hand*

Iris: ... Someone who won't try to kill her for delaying her story...

Few: *raise their hands*

Others: *slap fingers* Damn...

Iris: *sweatdrops more* Right... *ahem* She's there... *points*

Lily: *playing video game* Waii!! I'm almost finishing Valkyrie Profile!! Yay!! ^_^

Radfel: -.- *sighs* Lilyyy...

Lily: *blinks* uhh?? RADFEL-SAN!! ^^ You're alive!!

Flowers: ^^U Lily, do you have any idea how delayed your story is?

Lily: *blinks* What?

Hime no Ichigo: ^^U You haven't updated "Shadowed Reminiscences" for like... about 4 months...

Lily: O_O!! YOU'RE RIGHT!! 

Mel Gods: 'Course we are, we have been waiting for it for 4 months ¬¬

Hobbit13: *nodnod*

Lily: *sweatdrops* Erm... gomen ne...

LilTakariGirl aka Yami Aro: Yeah... and you have some new reviewers who want your head...

Lily: *blinks*

YumeTakato: *points to new reviewers*

Lily: *sweatdrops* What about the old ones, like you guys? Do they "understand"?

Hime no Ichigo: Well...

Yume no Yami: *giggling madly* Fluff... fluffluffluffluffluffluff...

Lily: O_oU

Katya Motou: *places hands on hips* And 'sides, we are all curious about what is about to happen!

Lily: O_O WAHH!! *jumps on Iris' arms*

Iris: What?!

Lily: I-it's Katya Motou!!

Iris: ... so?

Lily: ^^ Famous writers are reading my story!! YAY!!

Iris: -.-U *drops her*

Lily: *falls down hard* OW!! *rubs her butt* aiee...

Yana5: *stands just before her* Make Yugi hate his friends *determined*

Lily: *blinks* *sweatdrops* Erm... sorry, can't do... ^^UU

Hobbit13: *places finger on chin thoughtfully* And how was Yugi able to see Elle and Shizuka if they weren't dead and/or in a coma?

Lily: *blinks* Well, they are both alive... Simple as that... They just came to Domino, just that...

Destiny: *timidly* Erm... who are Elle and Rebecca?

Lily: *blinks* Oh, Rebecca is a spoiled little girl who appears after Duelist Kingdom, and then later in the series... Elle is my trademark OC ^^

Hime no Ichigo: *on sugar high* Will there be dreams? Will there be more fluff?? Will Rebecca appear more??

Lily: Erm... yes, yes, and yes... *thinks this is beginning to appear like a interview*

Love_to_sing&Akhet&Latias: UPDATE MORE!!

Lily: O_OUU *was trying to stand up, but startled herself and fell on her face* itai.... @_@

Iris: ^^U Erm... aibou... you should start soon...

Kouichi: Hai... Before our hikaris go insane or something... -.- *watches Hime no Ichigo waiting for more fluff all excited*

M: -.- *nods her agreement*

Kitsy: More than they already are? *tries to put a giggling Yume no Yami in a straight jacket in vain*

YumeTakato: :3 Mau! Seto and Joey!! Mau!! ^-^

Lily: *sweatdrops* Everybody is getting so strange...

Dark Latias: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! *keeps burning things down around*

Bakura: *passing by* *blinks* HEY, THAT LIGHTER IS MINE!! *chases after Dark Latias*

LiLTakariGirl aka Yami Aro: Bigger Yugi!! Yami Bigger Yugi!!

Pretenna: *falls down on the floor laughing*

Iris&Lily: ...

Hobbit13: Seto and... Joey ^-^ Couple...

Pretenna: Yes!! Seto and Joey! Couple!!

M: *raises an eyebrow*

Mel Gods: Couple?

Destiny: COUPLE, YES!! ^-^

Flowers: Mystery!!

Everyone: Hooray!!

Hime no Ichigo: FLUFF!!

Yume no Yami: Fluffluffluffluffluffluffluffluffluff... ^_^

Pretenna: Fluff! ^-^

Everyone: FLUFF!!

Lily: O_O They're.... getting really strange...

Iris: ... Lily?

Lily: Hai?

Iris: ... your sugar's gone...

Lily: .... damn it

****

Disclaimer: *rubs temples* Dudes, this is serious... If you guys think I own Yu-Gi-Oh, you better go out and find a psychiatrist cause you're delusional...

****

Claimer: I own Elle, bwahahahahahahahahahaha!! And Ellian too!! And Chris Daisuke!! =DDDDDD Bwahahahahahaha *continues*

Yami: *sweatdrops* *ahem* Ignore her, please, and move on... -.-U

****

Warning: This fic contains _shounen ai_, that meaning boyxboy love. Don't like it? Simply, don't read it!! The couple is Yugi/Yami, so you've been warned. There's Bakura/Ryou, (Yami)Malik/(Malik)Ishtar and.... another pairing I'm not telling =P. Also, Anzu bashing (duh =P) and mild Rebecca bashing.

****

Keys: "__" is talking, '__' is thinking, and _Italic_ is a Flashback

****

Note: It is MORE than imperative that you read both _Shades of a soul_ and _Even in death_ before reading this one fic. Allusions to both fics will be made often, since this IS a sequel after all. So please, take your time reading THOSE fics before coming back to this one. ^_^ Thank you.

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**__**

Shadowed Reminiscences - [ **Act** **III **]

__

By: Lily Maxwell

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Yami raised an eyebrow at the scene before him, trying to take in and understand the situation he was in. First, some random stupid girl tackled HIS Yugi (yes, he was possessive, he knew it, and he was proud of it). Then another one appeared and they started fighting. And his Yugi seemed to know both. And after that, a boy came up and seemed to know his Yugi (and tried to hug HIS Yugi too, let's not forget about that) and then Kaiba appeared and seemed to know him and...

Now they were glaring at each other with such intensity Yami was afraid they were going to melt the snow with their anger.

Then Seto smirked. The blond one blinked and raised an eyebrow, but growled anyway. That only made Seto chuckle, his eyes shining with mischief.

"Still a mutt." He said, the corner of his mouth raising slightly in an evil smirk. The blond one growled louder, and Yami had the faint idea that the nickname was not so misplaced after all...

"Still a pain in the butt." The blond replied, narrowing his eyes dangerously, making Seto do the same. By now, the tension was so thick Yami was afraid he would step on it and people would bump into it anytime soon.

Yugi, by his side, was completely clueless.

'Since when does Seto knows Katsuya Jounouchi...?' he thought. But there was actually no way Seto knew Yugi himself knew Jou because he never spoke about his old friends with his new ones. Actually, Yami was the only one whom he had ever talked about his past.

He had taken Yami's friends as his own, yes, and he trusted them indeed. He remembered how Yami got worried about Bakura with the suicide attempt he made one month ago[1] and he noticed how much his friends meant to him, even though, for example, in Bakura's case, they acted pretty hostile to each other at times. So, Yami's friends became his friends too, but... Why comment about a subject he had ignored the past years and that only brought that very same day to his mind, making him suffer? Why bring to the surface people whom he had tried to forget?

And to think that, at that moment... Everything was coming back at him. It was like he was being tortured all over again. Like his past was trying to haunt him, like it had done for the past years of his life. Shizuka, Elle, Jou, Rebecca... He wouldn't be surprised if he spotted Honda near. They were all coming to him... Back at him... To tell him how little he meant to them and how he was useless... and _weak_.

Yami felt Yugi shaking by his side, and placed his attention back on him. His brows were brought together in concern, observing how Yugi stared at the other unknown teens with an unfocused glance. But slowly his face contorted into an expression of pain.

"Yugi...?" he called loud enough for just him to hear, and Yugi closed his eyes shut. He let go of Yami's arm and turned the opposite way the others were, running away from the scene. Immediately, Yami followed him. "Yugi, wait!" he said and ran after him, catching Rebecca and Elle's attention.

The two girls looked at the way they went, but fought the urge to follow. More Rebecca than Elle anyway. The blonde pouted and crossed her arms angrily, turning away and walking out of the park. Elle merely sighed and ran a hand through her long hair. Things were not going as she had expected them to. She looked back at Jou and sweatdropped.

He was still in the glare contest with Kaiba.

"What are you doing here, _mutt_?" Seto asked, and Jou crossed his arms over his chest.

"Give me a reason not to, _butt_ (A/N: A not very common nickname for Seto, now is it? XD)." He replied, making Seto frown.

"Answer the question as your master asks you, unfaithful canine." He said, and that struck a nerve.

"Care to repeat dat?!" he spat, almost advancing on Seto didn't another voice intervene.

"I see no problem with the adjectives or nouns, Jounouchi." A female voice spoke, and Jou turned around to meet a pale girl, crimson eyes staring right back at his hazel ones, some icy feeling clear in both her voice and stare. Jou sighed angrily. Things couldn't get any worse for him.

"Chris... Nice ta see ya too." he said sarcastically, earning a sarcastic smile in reply.

"What brings a dog like you here, Jounouchi?" Chris asked, gaining only a growl as a response. The girl rolled her eyes and walked over to Seto, intertwining her fingers with his and grabbing his entire attention. "Come on, Seto. Mokuba and Claire[2] are waiting." She said, voice filled with warmth.

That made Jou's right eye twitch, and he blinked.

"Ne....?" was all he was able to mouth as his eyes locked with azure ones. It seemed as if someone dropped ice on both of them. Jou was completely filled with the air of indifference Seto radiated as response of the girl's actions. It made sure for him what those acts meant.

And it was sure to Seto that Jou was not expecting that. He raised an eyebrow as the only sign of surprise he got from the other one was the void of emotions on Jou's eyes and expression. He wondered...

The _second_ of wonder of both boys was broken when a female voice spoke up.

"Yugi's gone." Elle said, catching Jou's and mildly Seto's and Chris' attention. "Jou, what are we going to do? He's run out from us... again..." she said, and gazed at the ground. Things were definitely not going as they had planned...

Seto said something to Chris in a whisper and the girl nodded, then turning around and walking away. He looked after her with a longing expression on his face before bringing his attention to the silent teens near him.

"Katsuya." He called, and Jou looked up at hearing his first name. It had been long since he last heard it... It even sent a shiver down his spine as the smooth voice voiced out the syllables and let out a low, soft single penetrating word. No one could speak such usual word like that voice. No one got Jou's immediate attention like that voice.

And that deeply annoyed him.

"What?" he asked, hugging himself. The air changed around them. _They_ changed. It was a flashback all of a sudden... One that Jou longed to forget.

"Is he the one?" he asked, and Jou blinked before looking away and reluctantly nodding. Seto arched his eyebrows before sighing deeply, shaking his head short after. "Fool..." he whispered, and Jou looked up, not really catching the meaning behind his words. Neither of the two misguided teens got what the taller intellectual meant, not understanding whom his 'insult' was meant for.

Seto turned his back to them, but continued to speak. "Good luck with him, Katsuya." He said, and looked over his shoulder at him. "You'll need it, inu[3]." He finished and walked away, not waiting for the blond's answer.

Jou blinked once. Twice. Before he finally got the offense in Seto's sentence. Then he growled and, with Seto too faraway to listen to any of his replies, he did the only insult he could manage.

"Maturity is a very interesting trait of yours." Elle said as Jou stuck out his tongue in Seto's direction, chuckling in amusement. It was funny how the two could change from offensive mood, to serious mood, then to offensive mood again and finally to humorous mood. Really amusing.

"Whateva." Jou replied and walked away, in a sour mood. Elle giggled, shook her head, and walked back home too. Though the interesting relationship between her goofy blond friend and the serious brunet was a distraction for the moment, she was still concerned about Yugi.

Would they ever be able to face each other without running away?

~^:^~

The snow began to fall harder than predicted, and Yugi ran even faster towards his destination. The footsteps he heard coming behind him were soon fading away into nothingness as all he could see were silhouettes of buildings and white. He shivered from head to toe and was feeling colder by the seconds, the snow not taking long to get him soaked.

But he didn't want to stop. He paid attention to nothing. He only had past memories covering his mind, and the thought of having nightmares of the same day over and over again in the next nights left him terrified.

He looked up and was barely able to make out the door he was looking for with the wind threatening to blow him away. He hurried towards it and opened it quickly, entering the warmer ambient and welcoming what he saw inside.

Comfort for his mind.

He ignored the one who was calling him and instead only stepped further into the heat, opening doors and climbing stairs until he came across the sanctuary he was looking for.

He fell. With his arms placed on his bed, and sitting on the ground, Yugi tried to do only one thing.

He tried to breathe.

~^:^~

Sugoroku was ready to follow his grandson, concern growing in his old but alive heart, when someone banged on his door. He looked up from his standing position behind the counter to find Yugi's precious Yami in a state that easily reminded him of Yugi. Soaked and desolated.

With a quick nod from the elder man, Yami stepped into the Game Shop and looked around before settling his gaze on Sugoroku.

"Where is Yugi, Mr. Mutou?" he asked, and by the tone of his voice and his addressing at 'Mr. Mutou', Sugoroku guessed that _something_ had happened. No matter how many "nothing's" his grandson or the crimson eyed young man would say. "Can I see him?" he continued in a rushed tone, making Sugoroku (A/N: gaaack...) frown.

"Did something happen, Yami?" he asked, but Yami seemed only more distressed.

"Please, Mr. Mutou, where is he? I need to talk to him." He claimed, and Sugoroku crossed his arms.

"I'm sorry, Yami, but I can't let you talk to him until you tell me what is going on. My grandson just walked through that door without giving me at least a glance and looked so bad it seemed as if he had just seen the ugliest of ghosts." The elder Mutou said, making Yami sigh.

With a rushed voice, Yami tried to explain to Sugoroku the afternoon of incidents Yugi had. First, with two girls. Then, with two more girls and a boy. He tried to remember their names, but the only one he could grasp in his mind was...

"Katsuya... The boy was named Katsuya. Yugi told me he once was his best friend..." he said, and added a 'and someone who knows _my_ best friend'. Sugoroku did not speak any words throughout his whole speech, and did not seem like he was going to speak anything now. Yami was anxious.

He _needed_ to speak with Yugi. God knew what the boy was going through right now, and Yami thought that he had suffered from enough pain already. No one lost their friends and parents and lived in a world of loneliness without being pained in the heart. When Yami met him in the sea of trees near his house, he knew he was not normal. He knew they were destined to meet. When he heard Yugi's voice in his head... He was afraid. He was afraid he would get to know him. Know him like no one else would.

He was afraid of getting too close to someone, without losing them. And he felt it. When he looked for Yugi the next day, and didn't find him, he felt it. He felt a 'deja vú', fell into a flashback of pain... 

Yami shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Yugi was there for him now, and he needed him, and it didn't matter if someone was trying to delay him, he _would_ get to Yugi, and _would_ comfort him.

"I'll see him now." He said, standing up, placing the towel Sugoroku gave him on the couch. The shop was closed due of the storm going outside, so they were all trapped inside the house.

"No."

Yami blinked. Did... Mr. Mutou just deny his request to _help_ Yugi?

"B-But Mr. Mutou..." he tried to say, but the elder man started his speech first.

"Yugi is a strong boy, though it may not look like it. Back then, when he was left alone with no friends or parents, he made it through. He cleared his mind and let himself go on with his life. This time, it is no different." He said.

"But, he's in pain and..." Yami tried to say, but while his words came up incoherently dumb, Sugoroku knew what he was talking about and was determinate in not letting Yami talk to Yugi.

"He needs to do it by himself. If you keep helping, he'll become dependent on you. And he is strong enough to endure it on his own. He has passed through it before, he simply needs to clear his mind and try to do what it is needed like before... Though his decision was not a good one, he at least came to it by himself, without anybody's help." Sugoroku reasoned, and Yami sat back down, defeated.

"But... last time... he came to me when he needed..." Yami said, referring to when Yugi was completely alone in the hospital. In the coma, no matter how tightly Sugoroku would hold his hand, Yugi would be alone in his own world on unconsciousness. And he appeared before Yami, yearning for someone...

"And he will come to you again when he needs you again." Sugoroku said, his eyes softening at the boy. It was clear to him that Yami cared deeply about Yugi, and that left him relieved. Yugi had never been so happy in his life before, and that was all thanks to Yami. He gave him friends, love and light... And no matter how much a grandfather love for his grandson is envious of anybody's love for what is his, he had to admit...

Yugi was not his alone anymore. He never had a part of him, the part of him that was constantly asleep, broken, silent or covered in darkness. Now, that part of him belonged to Yami, and there was nothing he could do to get him back. It was either accept it, or deny it...

"Yugi..." Yam murmured, placing a hand over his eyes and bending his head, keeping his face from view. He looked weak, drown in concern, lost in worry.

... And Sugoroku had already made his decision.

[ **To be _continued_**... ]

[1] Read "Even in Death"  
[2] That's Chris' sister's name... ^^U I never mentioned she had a sister, did I?  
[3] Inu means Dog

Lily: So!! ^^ There it is!!

Everybody: *frozen*

Iris&Lily: *blink*

Lily: *whispers to Iris* You think the sugar wore off?

Iris: ^^U let's hope so...

Everyone: *still frozen*

Lily: *sweatdrops* Erm... please **review**, ne? I _still_ need opinions... *nudges the frozen reviewers to review*


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